Will Cotton

American , 1965
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Will Cotton is best known for his depictions of landscapes composed of sweets, often inhabited by languidly posed female figures. Executed with flawless skill and technique, Cotton’s work is an optical delight and is formally resonant with the influences of seventeenth-century rococo paintings, the nudes of Bouguereau and Cabanel, and the classic American pin-ups of George Petty and Alberto Vargas. Cotton’s figures are often inspired by models such as burlesque performers and fellow artists from the art, film, and music worlds.

Cotton received his BFA from Cooper Union, New York, and also studied at the New York Academy of Art. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe including the San Francisco Museum of Art; the Seattle Art Museum; the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany; the Hudson River Museum; the Triennale di Milano, Italy; the Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana. Cotton is represented by Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY.